#Tbh i'm a lot more into friendship dynamics than ships

[starstriix]

hi star! i really love your work!

what are your favorite ships overall?

Hiii!!

I obviously mainly fixate on jock, but I'm really open to a lot of pairings. Though tbh, this may be the one fandom where I don't really care for any mlm ships at all?? (Not that I mind them) It's mainly wlw or het ones.

I'm pretty much open to most canon pairings too (duncney, aleheather, etc), but I don't care for gen 1 as much in general so I'll tell you a few gen 2/3 ships I've liked:

Obviously I'm cool with zoke, and samkota was super super cute. I actually don't mind Dott either, I think it's pretty fun and very reminiscent of the 2012s (Dott fans are like siblings to me. They could never make me hate you) Shasmine was pretty much the main thing I remembered from watching PI when I was younger, so it's cool in my book (also height differenceee)

For Jo, I pretty much like the concept of most Jo x female character ships (brick is the only man I see her with. Think of it as the bisexual who mostly likes women and one very specific type of man). Jomaria makes sense to me, Jo/Dawn is pretty neat and I can see the appeal in Jo/Zoey but I really enjoy them as best friends, lmao. Also Joeather is funny as shit but I don't see them being an ACTUAL couple.

Dawn/Zoey is a really good one I've seen, I like em being weird girls together. It's a super cute concept, and they actually had decent-ish interactions in canon. We need more weird girls in our lives. Dawnkota and Dawnmaria are rarer ones I've only seen a few times, but I think they're neat and worth exploring as well!

I don't really ship them but can we PLEASE talk about Zoey and Dakota's interactions. "Hold me? 🥺" and then Zoey proceeds to awkwardly look away THEYRE SO FUNNYYY

Ella/Sammy is super sweet :) though the concept of Ella/Scarlett is SUPER cool too. Especially the ship name,, "Poison apple"?? Brilliant. Alsoo...Scarlett x me because she's hoWHAAAT WHO SAID THAT?? WHO SAID THAT

I've seen Sky/Lightning in fics and I honestly think it's neat?? The matching names are really cute, too. We love jocks in this household. I also think Scott and Zoey would be interesting as a pair, though I don't see much content of them. Same with Zoey x the system (minus Mike and obviously Chester). AND Zoey x Anne maria??? I genuinely have no idea how I've never seen content of those two together. I thought it'd be a bit more popular.

And of course,, Lightning x his muscles. Best ship, you can't change my mind.

[sskk-manifesto]

Ep 5!!!

[noperopesaredope]

I recently watched a video talking about what your favorite Mouthwashing ship says about you (spoilers: most of them are bad), and one thing I explained in the comments that I think is important to explain to certain people (in general with a lot of fandoms, tbh) is that a lot of shippers in the fandom understand that these relationships would not be good and are in fact deeply unhealthy, but perhaps that's the point.

Like, most of the Jambone x Curly shippers I've seen don't like the ship because it's cute or good, but because it's narratively interesting and would be extremely compelling to see. I honestly get it even if I'm not super interested in it. Jildo and Curly already have an extremely interesting and unhealthy relationship dynamic. It is heavily implied that JarJar acts very emotionally abusive towards Curly, belittling and manipulating him frequently and likely damaging his confidence and ability to stand up to people. But he is also obsessed with Curly in a very fascinating way.

Meanwhile, Curly has not only been friends with Jimbo for a long time, but has a fatal flaw of being too loyal and passive for his own good. As many have said, Curly is like a golden retriever in both a good and bad way.

Curly is Jackass' victim and enabler at the same time, which is why he is one of my favorite characters in the game. You both feel bad for him but also understand that he really fucked up and a lot of stuff is his fault. His most endearing traits are also some of his worst traits. Again, the golden retriever comparison is very accurate. He is friendly and loyal and believes the best in everyone (and very cute), but that loyalty and belief in everyone are also his fatal flaws.

He enables Jello because he thinks that there is good in him, and like a dog, he sees no wrong with most people no matter what they do (until it's far too late). I can't remember the fic I saw this in, but one good line I saw once was something along the lines of: "You believe in people and see nothing wrong with them no matter what until they abandon you at the park in the middle of the night." Curly sees no wrong in his friend because that's the type of person he is, and while it can be cute, it's also dangerous.

It can also often be detrimental to himself, as we see Juice be cruel to him as well, yet Curly excuses it as just Jizz being Jizz. He doesn't see anything wrong with the way he is treated, making him become desensitized to Jive's behavior and seeing it as not a big deal.

I think Curly's status as both victim and enabler would be interesting under the context of an abusive romantic relationship. There is an even greater power imbalance present, and Jojo may do a lot worse things as a result and be a lot more controlling and manipulative. He could be more physically and verbally abusive, make more threats, and even be sexually abusive (since he is canonically a rapist already, and hates Curly more than he hates Anya, thus he would probably put more aggressive hate into it). The whole relationship would be horrible and disturbing, but also interesting to see.

I love fics exploring their unhealthy friendship, so seeing it as an unhealthy romantic relationship could be even crazier to see.

~~~~~~

There's also the nuances of Anya x Curly. Most people ship it specifically in the context of AUs where Curly actually stands up for Anya and helps her out. Their dynamic as characters could be really cute, especially if he puts in the work to protect her.

I personally find the potential of post-crash Anya x Curly to be interesting as hell. I generally find their non-romantic dynamic post-crash to be interesting enough on its own, but I also think it could be absolutely crazy if they developed romantic feelings because those feelings would develop from some really unhealthy places for the most part.

I see Anya as someone who still holds some resentment towards Curly, but also sees herself in him and feels he doesn't deserve what happened to him. Maybe at one point seeing him go through something similar to what she went through might feel a little cathartic, but anything after that is too much to her. She is also his primary caretaker and a nurse, so she feels responsible for his wellbeing and wants to take care of him. She also seems to read and talk to him a lot, which probably feels nice because she can have some company while also being safe because Curly is not in a position to be able to hurt her. Anya doesn't exactly develop proper feelings for him per say, but she still uses him as a bit of an emotional crutch of sorts and becomes very attached to him because of it.

Meanwhile, Curly feels deeply guilty for not helping Anya and feels she deserves better. He believes she has no reason to care for him, but chooses to anyway, and thus he is extremely grateful towards her, possibly idolizing her to a certain degree. He slowly develops his own weird feelings, seeing himself as unworthy of her kindness and wanting the best for her, while also being dependent on her, even if it's in a more direct way.

They never get together or even realize that they themselves have feelings for each other since those feelings are #messy, but do form a weird codependent relationship of sorts. I've seen some cool fanart of Anya hugging/holding onto post-crash Curly, and it made me think about the potential this whole dynamic has and how unhealthy it could be, both for Anya and Curly. I believe they would not work out or be healthy (though probably better than Jazzy x Curly), but could be interesting narratively.

~~~~~~

Basically, what I'm trying to explain is that a lot of people don't ship certain Mouthwashing ships because they think it's good or want to romanticize it, but because it is narratively compelling and can explore complex dynamics more.

[that-starry-freak]

We've got five of these this time chat

Okay wooo I actually am struggling with this one. Like the pairing sounds interesting immediately, but I'm at a loss. Uhh-

I mean obviously it'd be toxic. Its giving enemies with benefits tbh. Hate. Lots of pain and trauma. Eccpecially after old moon was the reason SSun died.

If they don't try to kill each other though they'd growl a lot and be assholes and that just sounds like a lot of fun (if they got along they'd be a fucking asshole power couple)

ECLIPSE AGAIN?? holy shit okay uhm

I mean I rant about this all the time I dont think im gonna here the point of this is for crackships

Okay I'm about to take all the eclipses off this wheel I've got an eclipse every single time so far-

Anyway, uh- I actually have an au thats servant sun x v4 eclipse so I'm trying to figure out how their dynamic would be if it was v2

servant sun would be really anxious around him. V2 ecliose would just make snarky comments to him about his kittishness and how he wasn't the same eclipse. SSun would slowly warm up to him. I remember v2 ecliose was a lot more sparky and manipulative than v4's more cynical nature so thatd be fun. I think they'd be interesting together. Skittish x sassy, both very traumatized

Yeah I like that- omg if this was in the same au as the bm x lord eclipse one there's an added thing of v2's trauma with bm and how they tortured him- nauanshs

(My first spin was lord eclipse and I said no fuck you and respinned)

Ohhhh- okay, so technically its another ecliose, augh, but idc cause its not a very eclipsy eclipse its solar, so its okay

And oh my god?? Their friendship already bro. The sass. They joking fighting. The figuring out relationships together. The awkwardness???? The nerdiness??? Bro, its like solarnexus but moon is a bit of an asshole and more awkward so its less soft and just fun

Fuck yeah i love this ship

... im not going to say anything, im just gonna

@alexandraisyes

the wheel ships it (it was the first one without any sort of Eclipse too-)

Okay I think that's enough that's a lot god I'm addicted this is a lot of fun

[ladysomething]

this is a bit random but I was wondering if you had any other rpf ships from formula 1 that you like (other than brocedes) that overlap with the drivers making up lestappen.

I’m a big charlos lover and wygig is probably the only lestappen work I really like and that’s 100% because of your amazing writing and nothing else (in terms of finding that driver dynamic alluring) because I’ve been trying to get into lestappen for a while and it just isn’t happening.

I think one of the reasons for this is that in the charlos that I read, Charles plays a very different role and is presented often much more masculinely and assertive and morally grey in comparison to a lot of lestappen. therefore, I feel like it’s difficult for me to shed the perception of him I hold in that ship and move over to lestappen works where his role in relation to max is largely unchanged no matter the AU or scenario.

so that brings me to my question, going through your bookmarks I noticed that you read some Maxiel and some Pierre/charles also, is it difficult for you to perceive the characters of ‘Max’ and ‘Charles’ outside of the traditionally lestappen framework? and when I say traditional I don’t mean things like who bottoms and who tops because it’s very diverse in terms of that but just generally the ‘magnets/opposites attract/one true rival/inexplicable obsession since childhood’ vibe that they seem to have in most fics. or do you largely restrict yourself to lestappen because other dynamics with those drivers are just not as interesting?

unrelated note- loved the latest snippet <3

hm. well I suspect that probably you and I have a very different starting point on this anon, and approach it from fundamentally different points of view. not to say either one of is either correct or incorrect, I just think it's probably not necessarily going to help you get into lestappen.

but I guess I'll tell you my journey, because it might shed some light.

so I got into f1 last year, resisted rpf for a while, eventually decided I'd give it a go, and pretty much just ... went to the highest ranking ship for f1. at the time, it was maxiel, so that's how I ended up there.

I didn't feel a particular draw to maxiel irl, but I adored the fics! some of them were absolutely phenomenal, and even though I didn't/don't ship maxiel, a couple fics have really stuck with me and even define how I write Max in lestappen.

when I went through the entire maxiel tag, I went to the second highest ranking ship: lestappen. now, I confess, I had intended to just do what I did with maxiel, which was consume everything and then move on, but as you can tell .... well. that did not happen.

its from fic that I learnt the lestappen lore, and its how I expanded into my actual interest of the real lestappen friendship. now the reason for this is pretty simple: I love their lore. I love their history. I fucking love the idea that these two guys grew up hating each other, and now have so much respect for each other that they're so weird about it. it's just a dynamic that really scratches an itch for me.

there are certainly other pairings that vaguely interest me: I've dabbled in some max/lewis, some Charles/seb. if I like the setting, then I like the pairing.

but, honestly, it sounds to me that the reason you're not so sure about lestappen (the 'rivals to lovers' aspect, if I've understood your ask correctly) is in fact the very core of it. lestappen authors explore it so much because it's what defines their entire relationship.

but it's not for everyone, and that's totally fine. if you don't see the allure, you don't see the allure. if I'm being honest, I don't see the allure of Charlos at all, but that's for my own reasons and there is no fic I could read or long essay on it that will change my mind.

now, I think what you're also asking me is ... if I see Max as a rival to Charles, can I also see him as having had a boyhood crush on Daniel? and tbh for me, the answer is yes. I don't always agree with characterisations (just as I don't always agree with them inside lestappen either), but I think ... people aren't all things all the time, right? a person can be multiple things at once.

some ships just bring out different sides of people. e.g. Charles is a giggly mess with Max and for some fucking reason says that he wants to win the WDC but not if it means something bad happening to Max, while also at the same time be the person that happily brushes off Lando, while also the same time joke about adopting Oscar, while also at the time wanting to square up against Lewis to prove he's better than him.

the way I would write Charles with Max is very different to the way I would write Charles with .... Lewis, for example, because he feels different things and acts in a different way and has different motivations. it doesn't make him an inherently different character, it just makes the dynamic different.

anyway, I'm not entirely sure I really answered your question tbh, but I hope you got something out of it anyway!

[comingdownwithme]

Hello!! You, your (amazing) artwork and your headcannons have single-handedly gotten me back into the Creepypasta fandom, I cannot describe the reaction I had to seeing your artwork but everything you draw just feels so good to look at? I’m not explaining this very well, but your art style is so pleasing to my eyes, there’s just something about the shading, the lines and the way you capture emotions/expressions it’s just; chef’s kiss (I had a question I promise lol)

What made you draw Toby and Jeff as a ship/what are some past/future headcannons that you have for them? Or just in general if you want to use this as an excuse to ramble about them go for it, anything you say about them I will listen!

Secondly, what is your general headcannon for the rest of the Creepypasta’s? Also it might be because I’ve been out of the loop for a few years but I didn’t really realise there were ex-proxies now, if it’s something you’ve come up with for your story that is insanely cool to read about (anything involving the like, political(?) state of the proxies is fascinating to me).

This has gone on longer than I thought it would, many apologies! I hope you’re having a good day!

I'm?? So honored that my art and headcanons have influenced you?? Skjdjd IM SO GLAD YOU LIKE MY ART AND MY CONTENT, REALLY MEANS A LOT TO ME AND ADDS A FEW MORE YEARS TO MY LIFE SPAN LMAO

As for what got me to drawing Ticcijeff, honestly? It started out as simply drawing the two characters I liked when I was a kid back at the archaic era of 2015 Youtube interacting, then it kinda... it snowballed from there– 😭

They both make me happy individually, so I figured bringing them both together would give me twice the serotonin (which did tbh) alongside the parallels of them both being reborn through fire, and my growing interest in these two were only enabled further by the few good Ticcijeff fanfics on AO3 lmao

As for headcanons? I'm just gonna,,, link some posts abt my dynamics for them and their lore and background so far because if I wrote all my thoughts abt them here we'd be here all day. (though there's absolutely more to come)

About their Childhood friendship

Another post about their childhood friendship! (Featuring the two's dynamic, Jeff's intrusive thoughts, and some additional background info on Jeff)

About Jeff and Toby meeting years later

What happened following the previous post

As for general headcanons for the creepypastas? Their world is a little bit more fucked than our own. Strict rules are set by authorities, there's a tight curfew in place for the safety of people, and death and missing persons cases have become common enough in recent times that it's become a morbid part of normal life.

Unbeknownst to the lay person though, the killers and criminals roaming the night aren't the worst one could encounter. There are incomprehensible- even malevolent horrors that defy the rules of the universe, that cross the boundaries of logic and reason, and even the dead won't stay dead for long in this world. In a twisted universe plagued by death and unknown creatures, even the scum of humanity have to carve a place out for themselves and survive.

Soooo uh, yeah, that's a gist of it lmao, but I'm gonna dump some specific headcanons too for the creeps, especially for each characters like I did here for the girls and here for Jack and Ben eventually!

Also, as someone who's been out of the loop for years (I just joined the fandom officially this year, the only social media site I had back in 2015 was YouTube 😭) I HAD??? NO IDEA EX PROXIES WERE A THING WHICH IS HELLA INTERESTING

I'm definitely gonna write down and flesh out the proxies and their relationship with the Slenderman, but thaaatssss for another time 👉👉

[ingravinoveritas]

Hi! I really dig your body language posts; I’ve gone from having 0 opinion on Michael and David’s relationship to constant giggling over how painfully obvious it is at bare minimum Michael has a massive crush

Do you have any favorite/specific moments between them body language wise where they’re just so blatantly in love? Tbh right now I still see them as friends but there’s just soooo much that’s super flirty. Especially non-show related stuff since Staged they’re technically acting. I’m super reluctant to rpf because of past experiences with toxic fandoms but their dynamic fascinates me and I want to see what I’m missing. Thank youu ⭐️

Anon #1: Aww, thank you so much for such kind and lovely words, re: my body language posts. I really do appreciate it! Including Anon #2 because of the relevance to my answer.

I completely feel you on having past experiences with toxic fandoms/not wanting to do RPF as a result. That was exactly the place I was in when I found GO in 2019, and subsequently began shipping Michael and David. So much has transpired since then, and pretty much all of it has strengthened my feeling that there is more than friendship going on between them.

In terms of specific favorite moments, body language-wise...oof. Well, one thing to keep in mind is that there are fewer of these moments than you would imagine, but I think that is because of the pandemic breaking out in 2020, which relegated almost all of Michael and David's interactions to virtual for a long time.

This does, however, make it even sweeter when we consider the moment that I would choose to answer your question, which is what Anon #2 is referencing. Michael and David at the NTAs in September of 2021, when Michael presented David with an award. There was a LOT going on that night, so I'll try to show the highlights in chronological order. First, this was how David was looking at Michael as he approached the stage:

Not only that, but David ran up the stage with his arms wide open to embrace Michael, well before he'd even gotten close to him:

Then there was The Hug itself, which sent such reverberations around the fandom and (as Anon #2) mentioned, the press itself. This hug that started with Michael looking at David so adoringly it seemed as if his heart was about to burst, and then the hug itself lingered for such a long time. This hug that was so much more than your average "bro" hug, with how Michael and David's bodies fully touched without an inch of space between them:

Then you had the moment after David gave his acceptance speech, where he and Michael walked off stage with their arms around each other. Specifically, David's hand is on Michael's neck--which is an incredibly intimate place to touch someone, and I'm also fairly certain Michael would break most people's hands before he'd let them touch his neck--and Michael's arm is around David's waist:

What starts as Michael's hand slowly moving down to David's waist during The Hug becomes Michael's arm more deliberately around David as they leave the stage, and then ultimately culminates in this moment in the press room:

For me, it's the very distinct combination of two things here that set off "blatantly in love" bells: The way Michael is protectively holding David with one hand perfectly nestled in the crook of his lower back--so instinctive, so sexy--and then the way David shifts his weight and leans closer to Michael. David--who had tended to be more reserved and less overtly demonstrative than Michael--showed so much emotion on this night without even saying a word, and it just left me breathless.

It was what also transpired following the awards that I would include as part of this being my favorite moment, which was what Anon #2 mentioned: Michael engaging on Twitter in no other way that night except to retweet this...

I have been following Michael on Twitter since 2019, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that he had never tweeted/RTed anything like this before, and he has not tweeted/RTed anything like this since then. This RT felt like the exclamation point on an already exhilarating night. It became clear that something had shifted, that we could see how Michael and David had become closer over the duration of lockdown. They were also about to start filming GO 2 together the following month, about to spend far more time together in person over the course of the shoot than they had for the entire year and a half previously due to Covid, and it's hard not to think that the anticipatory emotion of that was also part of what we saw at the NTAs that night.

Finally, Anon #1, I would say that there have been so many recent instances of "in love" body language, with the new interviews we've seen for GO 2. From my own posts, I'd say this, this, and this are some of the best examples (the third one being them walking arm-in-arm onto the show like they're walking down freaking the aisle and I really don't know much more overt you can get...).

I hope this is helpful to you. Thank you both for writing in! xx

[ofblackskies]

So this blog has hit 1'000 followers recently, and that gives me all sorts of warm fuzzies about all the people I've met along the way. The ones I talk to every day, the ones I've fallen out of touch with or who are no longer a part of the community, and the ones I keep on my dash even though we never speak. This blog is one of my safe spaces and that's primarily because of all the amazing people I keep around. So I figured this was the perfect time to give all y'all a little extra love.

My ride or dies here, my hoes before bros, the loves of my life, these are the people who make every day on here worth it. These are the people I hope I never ever lose contact with - and if I do it's their fault and they deserve to be punished for it tbh.

@devilsanddarlings - Chrissy and I have been friends for 12 years both on and off of tumblr, but more importantly before tumblr and after tumblr. I have no doubt in my mind that we'll be friends until the end of time. I would trust you with my passwords, but I would also trust you with my life, and I do trust you with all my secrets. You've been with me through the epic highs and lows of high school football everything, and if we ever lose touch it'll be because I'm dead. And even then? I'mma haunt your ass. So be ready.

@acourtcfmuses - Alana! You and I are going on 8 years knowing each other, and you're so awesome. You're one of my oldest friends from this hellsite, and the only one who's really active anymore. And when I say active, I mean active. Nobody has more characters than you. I've finally broken 100 and I'm still nowhere near being able to be in the same race! Not only that, but you do so well with all your canons, and your ocs are all so well put together. Thank you for always being around when I need you - even if we are on completely different time lines, you always reply when you can and that means a lot.

@hellgiven - Charli, you're one of the few people that I would follow to any blog they made. I don't care what the fandom is, I don't care who the character is, so long as it's you writing them, I know it will be good and I know that we'll find a fun pairing to write! I tell you things I don't tell hardly anyone, and you let me bitch when I need to but you don't ever take it to heart, and I love that. I love you &lt;3

@snnydcys - Lumi, I know I give most of my attention when it comes to our friendship to Channy, and I know I'm terrible at getting to replies in a timely manner - but Channy deserves the attention, and you never bully me about how slow I can be. You've adapted Sonny into this multi-fandom baddie, and you did it in such an organic way that I could never have imagined could be done with a Disney character. I'm always so impressed by the way you've made her fit everywhere. And I promise I will get to doing other things with your other characters. I promise.

@carp3diems - Bluejayyyyy! First of all, obligatory mention of the soulmates: Cal and Del are everything and I swear any time I go to write a reply for him that isn't for her, he's in my head whinging and asking where she is. The fact that I have an oc who's so obsessed with yours is honestly such a vibe because I too, am obsessed with you. You're a great friend, and you only pressure me to write when I explicitly ask you to - which is exactly what I need sometimes. I'm a sucker for all of our little ships and plots and dynamics, even the ones that we're just getting started, and I adore youuuu.

@unitcd - Fabian, we share a love of Jeremiah and a hatred on Conrad, and them there could be fighting words to a lot of people, but we get along so well! Even without that basis, I think we would have become friends eventually, and I'm really glad we did! Even if I'm terrible and don't reply fast enough.

These are the blogs I follow that either I don't write with much, or just haven't had the chance to get out of that 'new follower' stalking vibe with yet! This is also where I'm sticking those people I just don't talk with much ooc (at least not on a daily basis) but I still love so much! I adore you all, and thank you for making my experience on the dash so awesome, it wouldn't be this good without being able to read your threads

@unbearablyindifferent / @tobeblamed / @seesgood / @klaeus / @salvatoraes / @stanfordprepped / @tvintedspvrk / @fcntasyadvcnturc / @localsalt / @takeflight / @lcvelj / @lcveblossomed / @fuckedprophet / @inspotlight / @gunchamber / @benbraeden / @sunsymbols / @malka-lisitsa / @rhaegore / @stcllla / @shesdaylight / @cruelprincae / @sarcasticsnackpack / @saltzitivo (!!! I would say a lot more about you but you know. We don't do a lot here on tumblr anymore, but Hallie is one of my absolute favorite people on the planet alwaysss, my aussie sister <3)

@thcdarlingboy - Blair isn't active right now, but she will forever be one of my favorite people I've ever met on this hellsite. Every day I hope she comes back to throw her characters at me, and because I think of her on such a frequent basis, she deserved an honorable mention on this list despite the fact that her blog hasn't been active since 2020. Blairbear, if you do pop on at any point in time and see this, I want you to know that I love you and I miss you &lt;3

Now, if you've gotten through all of that and made it all the way down here, you deserve something special. So anyone who reblogs either this post or my promo by this time next week will get entered to win some sort of graphics prize. We can chat about what you want if you win, but the realm of options is anything from base icons, to a promo or blog graphics. I'll be picking two randomly generated people, and one person by hand. The only rules are that you have to be following me (this is a follow forever giveaway, after all), and you have to reblog either this post or my promo. Reblogging this post will gain you two entries, because I really want to give the loves of my life some love and get their names out there a little more! But I know it's long as hell, so no pressure! And good luck! May the odds be ever in your favor.

[the-writing-mobster]

were there any fic ideas you never ended up writing that you regret not doing?

also, do you have any other undertale ships? {:

Ah! Thank you for the ask dear heart! Let's see...

Of course I have fics that are still deep in my drafts, and I also have a few unfinished fics currently published ON Ao3.

I don't really regret not publishing certain fics because it's not really a matter of if more than it is a matter of when. A few of these old ideas just need way more fleshing out and just aren't ready for the limelight.

And that "not if but when" mindset is carried over to my unfinished fics as well, like Baby Face and YWIW.

They'll eventually be completed. (Although tbh, I'm not so sure about ywiw now, may have to go and really take a good long look at that one and the goals I want to achieve with it. For YWIW, I guess I regret some of the choices I made with Frisk's character arc. Like I accidentally walked back on things that I shouldn't have. Sequels are hard, y'all.)

—

Now for my other UT ships? Hmmmm...

I'm gonna come out the gate swinging and say that I, first and foremost do not ship Asgore and Toriel. I think their dynamic is more interesting as a divorced couple. Boom. That'll stir the pot some.

(I have a lot of weird UT ships tbh)

Now, moving on to what I actually ship:

Asriel x Papyrus / Papsriel / Boneblossom

This stems more from how I wrote their dynamic in wdyw part 4 + ywiw. See, when Frisk and Sans are off doing hard main character work, Papyrus and Asriel were alone together a lot, working through both of their collective daddy issues together (their fathers were big ole villains and they were consoling each other about their relationships with their fathers, it was actually very sweet) Ergo, I began to ship.

But also, if you look at the game, there are instances of Asriel and Papyrus befriending, and Asriel manipulating him, or growing fond of Papyrus in his own way as Flowey. Yeah there's the problem of "well technically Asriel is a child!" Which like... Okay, he's also dead and immortal at the same time. In wdyw he died at an older age so... 🤷🏻‍♀️ It depends on where you take the story. I could also just ship them platonically. So yeah!

Undyne x Alphys / Alphyne

This one is obvious. They're canon. They're beautiful. I love gay people. I love lesbians. I am a gay people. I am a lesbian. I love them.

Also, low-key, I also just like to explore more of their dynamic than just lovey dovey sapphic stuff. The highs and the lows. And they're perfect to do that with.

Nick x Sans / Nicecream Guy x Sans

This one is unorthodox, but it's because of Baby Face. They're so gay in that fic like it's unbelievable. If not Sans, then definitely Nick. Like they've definitely explored each other's bodies at least once.

Also in wdyw, they have a more complex, complicated friendship since they're more like long lost friends, and the whole "you betrayed our ideals by joining Asgore's military" and Nick "you joined a rebellion that will never win, you've doomed yourself to martyrdom." Sans saving Nick from prison & the purge, ugh, they're so complex, I love em!

Nick is definitely gay. I know we were pushing for Alick but honestly... That boy is gay. And I really believe that. I think the only better pairing for him would be Napstablook, or... And I guess I'll concede to years of shipping before me... Burgerpants/Bryan. Because Bryan has that like, newly joined rebellion, starry eyes, just found out his crush was brutally murdered by one of Muffet's assassins, etc, and then there's Nick, shining hero of the revolution. I think it could work really well.

Muffet x Toriel / Muffriel / Spiderscotch

Bro even the name screams lesbian, wtf? This is like Everlark's alternative ship name being peenis.

BRO THEY LIVE IN THE RUINS TOGETHER, MUFFET SET UP SHOP IN THE RUINS. TORIEL BAKES PIES AND MUFFET BAKES FUCKED UP SPIDER DONUTS. THEY'RE A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN. (And I'm purely talking about classic, but who's to say that wdyw Muffet wasn't sneaking into the queen's chambers after killing her own husband and poisoning Toriel's daughter right under her nose? UGH THE DRAMA!!!!)

Ugh, I love my gay ships.

Anyway, Toriel is the sweet, albeit very flawed, old money, cottage core wife, and Muffet is the manipulative, borderline Machiavellian, macabre, new money, goth wife and they're PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER. I've never been more serious in my life.

Anyway, those are my UT ships that are not Frans. Don't come for me, I know they're unconventional (except for Alphyne) but I love them each dearly.

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Old pencil drawing I did:

[causesciencethatswhy]

The way Jikooks friendship even gets so minimised, all because JM is as close to JK as they want themselves or their self insert to be (because they don't understand/care for real Tae either) is so hurtful. Even beyond shipping, it's vile. It's also very telling how this is happening to Jimin in particular. Reeks of homophobia and a whole lot of internalised misogyny if you ask me. Same with Hoseok a lot of the time, too, especially in the Yoonmin dynamic.

The state of Army especially on twitter is...a lot to take in.

Exactly what I keep thinking. I've always considered that the vitriolic hate tkkrs/kpop fans in general have for jm is a result of internalized misogyny and I remember blinks or someone had mocked army's when they'd first brought it up because apparently men cannot be victim's of misogyny (some people need to really take a gender studies class in college is all I'm saying to that ).

Because jm presents in a more softer way that lends to feminity he also becomes the easy soft target to becoming the "other women" to their ships. It kind of made me really notice how a lot of the type of fetishisy shipper groups that you see in bl/fujoshi spaces are very similar to how tkkrs behave. The same intense hatred for the 'women'/women aligned characters and the immediate dislike for more feminine queer men is all something I've seen in fetishing bl spaces a lot.

The way jimin presents is much more obviously queer than any other member (purely based on mannerisms, cause if you hear joon or yoongi talking about love for a few minutes you can put two and two together). And his overt queerness makes a lot of cis hetero shippers (or kpop fans ) uncomfortable because they're forced to confront their internalized homophobia and misogyny head on. So they find a way to diminish his importance to the other members or villanise to cartoonish levels to deal with that discomfort.

I think the jikook suffer the worst brunt of this because jk for a majority of the fandom is the 'ideal boyfriend material' member , and that's perfectly fine as long as you're still able to see him as a full person outside of your fantasies of him. Jk obviously adores and admires jm (even if we're just looking at them as platonic besties). There should be no apparent reason to feel so threatened by jimins presence and importance in his life, except you see something There too. Except jimins queerness makes you uncomfortable and you project that onto jk.

As for the hobi thing with ynmin I honestly had no idea that he gets similar treatment in their theories (tho I'm not too surprised if that's the case).

I can barely scroll through army twt these days tbh. It's just bad takes, solo stan recruitment or ppl being dismissive of actual issues that army's should be focusing on like the kicking out 🛴 Braun from hybe, but instead being forced to debate blinks for the 100th time.

[tenpintsof-sundrop]

ASK GAME ! ASK GAME ! ASK GAME ! which as I chant out loud sounds like I'm saying "ass game" ... same difference honestly sksksksk

Hiii for the violence ask game (love being a hater) I wanted to know 1, 2, 3 and 23 for whatever fandoms you feel the most passionate about

I wouldn't say that I love being a hater, but I do love being right lmao

also I am feeling spicy so these are gonna be for different fandoms

1 - the character everyone gets wrong

JASON. MOTHER FUCKING. TODD

especially the fandom interpretation Titans version, but like damn

(even other canons get him wrong, and Titans did him so right and people refuse to acknowledge it)

(I could also say Lori Grimes, and Andrea Harrison, and Dick Grayson, and Michonne Hawthorne, and even Gar Logan tbh but this is the rant I am picking)

white cis fanboys just see him as the violent revenge perpetrator - distilled rage, 'the bad sibling', the criminal, the cool one, the gunslinger. fucking whatever

but I am not even so big on a lot of women's interpretation of comics Jason - as some big soft cuddle bug who just needs to be treated softly and cuddled uwu, someone who rip out the throat of anyone who looks at you the wrong way and basically acts like a big bad doberman guard dog in your life (someone possessive and angry and jealous in a love life). again - no

Jason is one of the most emotionally complex characters and the only people who truly understand him are me and Curran Walters.

Jason is a wreck. he was set up to fail - his backstory of poverty and sadness isn't just about giving him some revenge to seek or making him a more conventional criminal, it's his emotional core. everything that has ever happened to him in his life makes him who he is, and so many people don't understand those layers. (so many people don't even acknowledge the differences between him and Dick before Jason became Red Hood). Jason is depressed, he's insecure, he thinks that he's nothing but a problem in other people's lives.

he uses violence as a tool because it's all he's ever known. in a relationship, he would be difficult to connect with because no one has ever truly tried before. he wouldn't be instantly loving - he would be guarded as hell.

I could go on a long time, but anyway - Titans Jason is largely a thing that the show got right and so many people refuse to acknowledge it because they just want to mock Curran's looks and it makes me want to bash my head into things

2 - a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom

I have to do it to em - Spencer Reid would never be a fucking dom. NEVER

(also I know that bottom and top aren't synonyms for dom and sub but I think this ask game was created with mostly mlm ships in mind, so I am talking about this in a dom/sub context because I mostly write and consume x reader fics with bdsm dynamics)

Spencer is a sub. anybody who says that he is a dom, even a 'soft dom' is fucking lying to themselves because they have a particular fantasy that they want him to fit into. even later seasons Spencer would never be a dom

just because someone has rage and acts intimidating towards someone they consider an enemy doesn't mean they would ever feel the confidence to actually be dominant and in charge in bed. that man is walked like a dog constantly by other people in his life, and the only time he 'takes control' of a 'romantic' interaction is when he is with Cat - someone he also considers to be an enemy, an unsub that he can psychologically control. see the pattern?

3 - screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

I have discussed this before, and I wish I had a screenshot because without proof it almost doesn't seem real

someone saying that Spencer loves Henry more than JJ does - in a massive post where they listed all the reasons that JJ 'ruined' Spencer's life (which just gobsmacked me)

that post was a huge inspiration for the JJ/Spencer friendship scenes in [REDACTED]

I just cannot believe that the fandom is so fucking detached and unrealistic about JJ

23 - ship you've unwillingly come around to

...Richonne

this is in large part from what I have seen about The Ones Who Live spin-off, and I recently realized that the title of the spin-off comes from a scene where Michonne punches Rick in the head in order to literally knock some sense into him, so I fucking love that (and it seems like that's what the whole show is - her literally forcing sense into him after he's become detached from reality due to being held hostage by whatever the fuck that group's name is)

and I think The Thrifty Typewriter really put their relationship into terms that I was struggling with. so many Walking Dead ladies were relegated to nothing but being 'the love interest' once they became a love interest to someone. and if they were struggling with what to do with a female character, they turned her into a love interest for someone

Andrea being paired with a Governor, Rosita not getting more interesting storylines until after she parted from Abraham, Sasha being with Bob and then Abraham and then dying (although I think Sasha has a lot of interesting emotional beats, I see the point in saying that), Jessie (who could have had so much potential outside of just being a love interest for Rick, especially when they clearly had Richonne in mind), Lori's entire existence, etc.

So my huge problem with Richonne is that Michonne was so interesting before she got with Rick. And after she got with Rick, she lost all of her interesting traits, and she was stripped down to 'Lori 2.0'. Pregnant housewife character who stays at home and almost never fights. Rick was spotlighted and she was almost never around until Rick drowned. And I think I loved The Ones Who Live because it gave her back a lot of her fire and her autonomy as well as adding more to the romance, so it was the best of both worlds. (And it really made me come around to the pairing.)

And another huge problem I had with Richonne is the same problem I have with Dickkory - people who ship them act like the entire show was created to drive the ship. And the shippers get really annoying because they act like all the other interesting characters and plot lines do not exist. They act like the producers and writers made the show as a vessel to carry the single ship when that is clearly not the case.

For Dickkory, people boil Dick and Rachel's entire relationship down to 'omg, she is Dickkory's child' - which is very annoying. And for Richhone, people act like Andrea just does not exist, when she pulled Michonne out of a very dark place - Rick did not do that. Michonne said so herself. Andrea is a very important character in Michonne's story.

Anyway - I do like Richonne a lot now. More than I ever expected I would

[wikiangela]

in relation to the opinion thing could you maybe elaborate why you think in canon Buck isn't in a father role? I'm just curious :)

it just doesn't come across as buck filling any type of role like that to me? like, nothing he does is more than what a parent's best friend would, who's also extremely close with the kid

yes, he's helping eddie out with parenting, but he himself is not parenting chris, that's not what his role is, that's not what his relationship with chris is

him being in eddie's will doesn't mean he's chris' dad or eddie's co-parent - all it means is that buck is the person eddie trusts most with his son, and again, people do that with their friends

(ngl I feel like some people tend to dismiss buck and eddie's amazing and wonderful friendship for the sake of making it romantic, when this is such a good representation of family dynamics like this 😫 not to make it about a ship but... way too many people do)

and to be clear, I'm not trying to minimize the role buck does have in chris' life bc it's significant and huge and amazing, and they clearly are a family - but he's not a dad, i'd be curious why people think he is tbh

I always felt weird when in non-fanfic settings people call buck chris' dad bc that's just not the case - and I use the tag "christopher diaz has two dads" too, in fanfic, and I do joke about it, but when I truly look at canon, I don't see it🤷 like i said, it's a fun dynamic to explore in fic, but then again, so is a lot of things that don't have place in canon 🤷

and I could list stuff and point out that there's nothing more than being an amazing best friend in him taking care of chris when eddie can't, or eddie asking buck to talk to chris, but ngl I don't feel like it lol - to me, it doesn't mean parenting, and I'm sure there are posts where people articulated it better than I could anyway

[magicwhiskers29]

For the latest ask game...Great Ace Attorney, specifically

Favourite Character:

Gina, my girl Gina!! I love her development!! She adds to the atmosphere so well in Unspeakable Story, and I love her and Gregson's dynamic in DGS2!

Least Favourite Character:

Roly Beate. I think his gag is a little obnoxious, but I'm less endeared to him than Pat, so... I don't really actively dislike him that much, but he annoys me, so if I have to pick a least favourite...

5 Favourite ships (canon or non-canon):

-Ginasusa

-Haosusa (/Susarei)

-Ginasusaohao

-Asoryuu

-Nikosusa

Character I find most attractive:

Uhm. I don't know if I feel qualified to answer this. Maybe I'll just say whose design I like best... In which case, Gina again, maybe? I think she's very well-designed! :)

Character I would marry:

Also not that qualified to answer this one, uh... I could marry Courtney Sithe to make her history of marriages/relationships even more confusing? lol

Character I would be best friends with:

Iris!! We both like writing and science so I think we'd be cool buddies

A random thought:

Killing off Jezaille Brett at the start of DGS2 is an excellent way of setting the tone for the rest of the game, as well as setting up that, yeah, important characters can just die, so that Gregson's death works better later. I think it's a very shocking reveal that she's the victim, and I like it a lot.

An unpopular opinion:

Idk if this is that unpopular, but I asked my friend, and they told me this is at least a weird opinion, but Return of the Great Departed Soul is my favourite case in the doulogy, and my favourite case in Ace Attorney overall.

My canon OTP:

There aren't that many canon ships, to my memory, but the Vigils (Evie and Daley Vigil), I guess? Better than the Beates or the Garridebs...

My non-canon OTP:

I guess since this says OTP I can't say Ginasusahao, so uhm... Ginasusa, maybe? That's probably my favourite DGS ship, but I'm not like, that attached to it specifically, so...

Most badass character:

SUSATO MIKOTOBA!!! She saves you in court so many times, and she will take down anyone she needs to with a Susato takedown <3

Pairing I am not a fan of:

Hm... The most I think I get towards DGS ships I don't care is ambivilent, tbh. I can usualy see why people like them, though. I guess the ones I stear most clear from would be Baroryuu or Asobaro? Nothing against then, and I can get why people ship them, but they're not really my thing.

Character I feel the writer's screwed up:

Right, this isn't so clear-cut as it would be as if I was writing this about PL, but if you'll allow me to be petty for a moment, I do have a few minor grievances with Susato. I love her writing for the most part, but I think there was a major missed opportunity in the specifics of her ending.

I don't think her thematic beats about choosing her own path work quite as well if her sole motivation to return to Japan at the end of DGS2 os for Ryuunosuke. Like, yes, she chooses to follow him over Kazuma, that's something, but she's still just choosing to follow another character, when she was previously set up in Blossoming Attorney to be capable of standing on her own if the law only allowed it! I think i would have liked it more if it was at least implied that she returned to Japan to help Ryuunosuke AND start to try to begin her own legal career.

Otherwise, I think her ending's uncomfortably similar to the midpoint in her arc for the ending of Unspeakable Story. Albeit indirectly, she's once again returning to Japan upon her father's request, and I think that could have been avoided a little if her motivations for wanting to return were established as being outside of what other characters want, because that is her arc!

Favourite friendship:

Kazuma and Susato. Everything they do with those two is so interesting to me, and I love writing about it. It's so interesting how core Kazuma is to Susato, but how also she can't mean as much to him, because he only met her properly after he's already decided his mission. But she still means a lot to him, and I just, augh. I love the tragedy.

[lesbiansanemi]

Hello, I really like what you write🥰, I wanted to ask what you think of the relationship shown so far with Sabigiyuu? Do you think they felt romantic attraction or just a very close friendship? do you find differences between sanegiyuu?

Aaahhhhh, thank you so much <3 I'm glad you enjoy!

And I really liked the way the anime portrayed Giyuu and Sabito's relationship personally. I think it did a good job of showing how close they were and how much they meant to each other, even with such limited screen time, as well as why Sabito's death had such a lasting and profound effect on Giyuu (esp when compounded with his sister's death)

As far as romance or friendship, canonically, it was a very close friendship. Not that I am big on "um, they didn't have feelings in canon so it's not valid to ship them" (obviously haha), just that I definitely don't think there was any hinted or implied romantic feelings on purpose in canon. I'm only specifying that because based on your phrasing I assume you mean how I feel about them canonically? Unless I'm misinterpreting

That being said, I do "ship" them! My personal headcanon for them is them being queerplatonic, so not friendship or romance. So yeah, I ship them in a qpr, which I have a lot of thoughts on, but I won't get into too much detail here (always down to share more complex thoughts or headcanons about that though if anyone wants them). So I guess to answer your question, I don't see it as romantic, nor a very close friendship between them, but something else entirely

As far as the last part of your question, yeah, I do see a lot of difference between sabigyuu and sane//giyuu personally. I see Sabito get compared to Sanemi a lot which I... don't really get to be quite honest. We don't see a ton of Sabito, but imo he doesn't have a similar personality to Sanemi at all, nor really even similar convictions. I also see a lot of people compare them in looks, and while they both have purple eyes and Sabito does have a face scar, that's about... all the similarities I see? Which, to me, doesn't feel like nearly enough for all the "comparisons" I see at the volume I see, and how hard some people try to stress them. Tbh it honestly just feels like a fanon thing of people trying to shoehorn that Giyuu has a "type" that Sabito and Sanemi fall into, but to me that kinda just ends up as feeling like a shallow viewing of both Sabito and Sanemi's characters, as well as Giyuu's relationship to both of them. Feels like a case of sanding away the interesting aspects of characters to push a "ship dynamic" ppl want rather than what actually makes sense for the characters. Very much an aspect of fandom and shipping culture I'm not a super big fan of

Beyond that.... I'm just not really a sane//giyuu shipper in general. I get why people ship them, it's just not my thing. The dynamic between Giyuu and Sanemi just really isn't one I'm a fan of personally, so I like to avoid it. The whole "we're on the same side but are hostile towards one another and need to learn to get over" or "rivals" thing is just... ah... a bit boring to me, to put it lightly, and people tend to get so obsessive with that dynamic and the tropes surrounding it that most fan content is far too ooc for me to enjoy

That being said, I can find sane/giyuu kinda interesting in a canon compliant, post-canon sense, wherein with them being the two survivors with very little to live for in their eyes end up developing an almost unhealthy attachment to each other because of a "no one else will understand what we went through" mindset. However, even then I'm not quite too sure how I feel about that being in a romantic sense or not, and is rarely what I see explored in fics with them

Sorry, I don't really mean to slam the ship, and that's not my intention. I've just had a few interactions where people have assumed I really like the ship because I really like Sanemi and it's the most popular ship involving him, so I like to clearly explain why it's not to my taste. Obviously this isn't to say no one else can like it, I'm very much a ship and let ship person, but it's not one I enjoy interacting with, and quite honestly try to avoid

So yeah. I personally don't see a whole lot of similarities between sane//giyuu and sabigiyuu haha

Thanks for the ask! And I hope this answered your questions

[leonawriter]

What gets me about DCMK is that Gosho is so conservative heteronormative that there's only been one canon queer (background) character, and yet the series are full of relationships that are perfect for queer fans.

Personally I'm a fan of his m/f romances, always have been, because they're well written. But he accidentally writes some amazing m/m dynamics.

Hakuba/Kaito is my thing. I love it. Even better if it's Hakuba/Kaito/Aoko.

Sure Shinichi/Ran is amazing but Shinichi spends so much of the series shrunk and lying to Ran that he actually spends MORE time being honest with and having Moments with Hattori than he does his actual girlfriend at this point. And a lot of that is because of the honesty and them being able to work together rather than lie to each other.

Likewise, Ran spends so much time with her female friends that she could easily be shipped with them, too.

Sonoko has a boyfriend, but Makoto tries to police what she wears and how she acts, and is way too jealous over her, making it easy for those who don't like him to feel like shipping her with someone else is a viable option. Ran is right there, they've been friends for years, and they've got a good dynamic.

Sera Masumi is someone who's introduced as a girl who looks a lot like a guy, and tbh I think that "accidentally too tomboy" and "doesn't know how to girl" is the closest that Gosho's got to a butch lesbian (or bisexual) since she's had various instances of seeming to come on to/flirt with both Shinichi and Ran, as well as a seeming interest in other women. (I'll believe that she's canon when I see what I'll take as canonical proof, thanks.)

There's more, I'm sure, but that mostly illustrates my point of... the relationships he writes do work, but I absolutely can't blame fans (myself included) for going with different ones, even when I don't ship their thing, because these canon pairings are developed so slowly that the "friendships" (and in Kaito-Hakuba's case, rivalry as well) develop faster, and seem both deeper and stronger.

But unless things have changed in like... the 114 chapters I have left? I doubt we'll get anything canon, and it'll all stay in the fanworks.

Like, it sucks? But on the other hand, at least I know that I don't have to worry about the author at some point going "ah, no, actually that's not what I meant" as I know that it won't be. There's no false hope.

Plus, as I said at the start - at least I do like the m/f pairings.

I guess I just wish that there were at least some queer characters at all.

[imminent-danger-came]

Here comes the complaining about Mei's treatment in the fandom:

Mei gets basically zero fandom attention unless it's about shipping her with Red Son tbh, and even then it's barely ever discussion about her character. I've seen nearly everything she does in S4 be somehow attributed to Red Son, her temper, her impatience, even being concerned about Heaven(?). It's like she's a satellite character, like she doesn't matter until it relates to a man.

The thing about her temper especially gets to me because it's a trait she had since the pilot, and it feels just the teeniest bit like sexism to erase it in favor of making her into a Wholesome Softgirl.

(Also isn't her temper the main reason her dynamic with Red Son works? Like they play off of each other well because of how similar they are?)

Shipping is fun, I get it. I really like a lot of the popular ships, and Red Son is probably my favorite character but sometimes it feels like people don't actually care about Mei's canon character, they just care about giving him someone to blush or angst about.

Not to mention, for a fandom that loves angst I've seen nothing about her canonically tense relationship with her family or her fear of hurting others with the samadhi fire. That and her focus ep's almost never get talked about, except for the one with Ao Lie but even then, the discussion isn't about Mei, it's about Ao Lie.

Sorry if this isn't coherent I just have very strong feelings about this.

Anyways Mei deserves better

We are holding hands anon.

This was SUPER coherent, and I totally agree with all of your points—hope you don't mind if I write a kinda-sorta-meta about it! This is a long rant, and it's full of a ton of things that have been in my head for months.

Mei is rarely discussed as a character, and it's such a shame! Mei, MK, and LBD are my favorites, and I think I need to express my Mei love here more.

I think Mei being sidelined and ignored is far too common in the lmk fandom. I saw one person complain that Red Son should have gotten the Samadhi fire, and that it was "nothing against Mei", and it just kinda left me dumbfounded.

Like, there's nothing that giving Red Son the Samahdi fire would have added to the story that would trump what giving the Samahdi fire to Mei, our main female lead, added to the story:

"MK: “Mei! You have to stop. I know you’re upset, and that’s okay! I know what it’s like to have a power you don’t know how to control—to feel like the fate of the world is in your hands and you have no idea what to do! But you always have my back, and help me through it. We, will figure this out! Together!” (3x10 The Samadhi Fire)

This sentiment of "having no idea what to do", and that being okay, is something that MK is repeating back to Mei all the way from the Revenge of the Spider Queen special. They're truly friends—best friends who are always there for each other—and I don't think MK could have even gotten through to Red Son in this situation. He got through to Mei, because if "you're bonds of friendship are as strong as you say, you will always find your way back to one another", you can always reach one another.

To me, it just feels like they want to "give" this important place in the story to a popular male side character, rather than give it to the female lead they don't care about. And it just feels misogynistic. The particular post I'm thinking of mentioned how amazing it would have been for Red Son as a character to gain back and learn to control the Samadhi fire, completely ignoring what the Samadhi fire did for Mei as a character. This is not something that could be "handed" over to any one else, not without taking away everything thematically and narratively relevant about this part of the story.

As I've mentioned in my dear Hero and Warrior meta, MK and Mei fulfill the "roles" of the Hero and the Warrior to each other. MK's choice to not abandon Mei when she needs him is a CRUCIAL choice, and something that wouldn't have even close to the same amount of impact if it were replaced by anyone else.

There's also the matter of how Mei's trust impacts the story, for better or for worse. When she makes the decision to trust someone in the name of what she thinks is right (like how she trusted Sun Wukong's plan to defeat LBD, or Azure's plan to save their friends), it leads to her being tricked. To pain—which parallels her to both MK and Lady Bone Demon in such a significant way.

However, instead of MK's-

“No matter what I do, it’s going to lead to pain. It’s like the Lady Bone Demon said—it doesn’t matter if I want to help people or not! Everything I do just- it just makes things worse!”

-Mei instead takes on the position of "We have to try." Even if the odds are stacked against them, even if it doesn't work, even if it just makes things worse—she has to try. And that works with how Mei more often than not is the one supporting MK, always having his back. If I see one more person describe MK as the "optimist" of the group when Mei is so clearly the hopepunk girly we deserve, I may lose it.

All the way back in 1x10, MK is doubtful about their victory against Demon Bull King and Mei reassures him: "But we won...right?". Mei, AGAIN, in Revenge of the Spider Queen is the one to comfort MK that "They got this" and that they would "'Figure it out. Together". Mei assures MK in 2x10 that he's mastered so many powers and that Monkey King might not even need to come back, and when MK stares in his lemonade cup sadly, cocks an eyebrow insinuating that she knows something is wrong. In 3x04 when MK is wondering what use he is without his powers and how he's going to fight the Lady Bone Demon, Mei pokes his cheek and tells him that's why they're getting the Samadhi fire.

She has her own doubts, but she stubbornly works through them—anything to protect and support her friends.

Mei is her own character. And it's a good one at that.

(The rest of my thoughts are going under the cut, this is getting a bit long lol)

Now, this brings me to Mei and Red Son's dynamic.

"Also isn't her temper the main reason her dynamic with Red Son works? Like they play off of each other well because of how similar they are"

100% IT IS. Mei and Red Son's dynamic is lovely, and I think Red Son becoming Mei's teacher really expanded on that. Red Son giving Mei "some fire training" was a perfectly fine role for him to have in the Embrace Your Destiny Special, furthering their dynamic from Revenge of the Spider Queen.

Mei: "But...what if I fail everyone? What if I...lose control" Red Son: "My parents have succumbed to the Lady Bone Demon’s power—like countless others. You, and the Noodle Boy, will stop at nothing to free them. That’s how I know you won’t lose control. You can’t. Because you’re the only hope I- The only hope this world has left."

(3x11 This Imperfect World)

Red Son was so anti-hero originally, and yet here...he needs a hero. He needs Mei. Together they have to wrangle the wild emotions and energies around them to save everything. Mei is a feisty and angry character, rushing into things headfirst, and she couldn't do that or be that with the Samadhi fire, lest she destroy all she holds dear.

And, Red Son understands that. That's why he's there in the first place—to make sure Mei doesn't burn herself from the inside out. Red Son doesn't want to fail his parents and Mei doesn't want to fail the world. That's why I find them interesting.

So yeah, I really feel your "it's like she's a satellite character, like she doesn't matter until it relates to a man" sentiment. It's painfully true.

Honestly, I've been spinning around Mei's conversation with Ao Lie in 4x05 in my head for MONTHS, and not because of Ao Lie lol:

Mei: “What’s the point of having power if you won’t use it? Don’t you have people you want to protect?” Ao Lie: “Of course I do! But I can’t protect them with careless actions!” Mei: “Inaction is careless! If you’re not giving everything you have to protect the people you care about, you are nothing!"

Mei: I would watch my sword shatter into pieces a thousands times, so long as I used it to protect the ones I care about. If you're just going to sit here and screw around, then maybe, you don't deserve power." Ao Lie: "And perhaps with greater caution you would still have you're sword. I know a thing or two about disappointing people, about feeling powerless to protect them, but I do not sense you are a disappointment! Even now, locked away in imminent danger you're thoughts are to protect others!"

Mei: "But how am I supposed to protect everyone if I don't have my sword?" Ao Lie: "A sword is powerless without the hand that wields it."

(4x05 Court of the Yellow Robed Demon)

(omg hi hand motif) (Whenever characters (most often MK, followed up by Mei) look at their hands, it's typically as a sign of resolve or the character showing that they feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. I know I keep mentioning hand motif but god I love it so much and it's important to this convo about Mei.)

Here we see Mei all laid out: she doesn't want to be a disappointment and she's motivated by protecting her friends, which all tracks. Her first scene in the whole show is saving MK, and every damn day I think about her smile towards MK before she sacrifices herself to the Lady Bone Demon.

The dialogue "What’s the point of having power if you won’t use it?" is such a lovely paring with her "We have to try" mentality. If you have the power to do something, you should do it. You should try. In this sense Mei is bound by an incredible sense of duty to her friends and to the world.

And GOD, did we need a female character entirely motivated by helping the people she cares about, armed with a kick-ass sword and her temper. She's basically a female shonen protagonist, and I think most people don't realize that about her.

Mei's line “Inaction is careless! If you’re not giving everything you have to protect the people you care about, you are nothing!" in particular is interesting. Like I've said, she's a character whose whole motivation is protecting the people she cares about, and yet she hurt MK and everyone else at the end of s3.

There are certain things in s4 that lead me to believe she feels like "nothing" because of how she handled the Samadhi fire. Like, look at Mei's face when Subodhi mentions it for the first time in s4:

Subodhi: "As someone who once wielded the Samadhi fire, I thought that you would know that the flame that lights a candle is ALSO capable of lighting a forest fire."

(4x09 Roast of the Monkie Kids)

It reminds me of this scene from 3x09:

Macaque: "How do you still not see that he has no idea what he’s doing?"

(3x09 The King, the Prince, and the Shadow)

And, along with this parallel to MK—our poster boy of low self-esteem/belief—I just have to say I'm a little worried about our girl! I'm so excited to see where her character arc goes in the future, especially with how her own self-doubt is going to mesh with her duty to her friends.

I was thinking about it earlier—and as a fun little bonus theory at the end of this meta—I wonder if a Mei VS MK fight is in the cards for us. The line "They will destroy you, harbinger of chaos" doesn't fill me with much confidence, however I also doubt any of the main cast is going to fight MK with the intent of destroying him. So, that got me thinking that maybe they're going to fight MK to save MK, in a sense. I'm a "Mei is going to get a dragon form" truther (thank you Lego set), and Mei unlocking her dragon form while trying to save MK would be ONE hell of a way to debut it.

Anyways, I'm going to cut this off here, but tldr: Mei deserves better.